Maou (魔王) - Drama Review

Before I had started to watch this series, I was a bit skeptical. Here was a show that featured two members of Japanese pop groups in the lead roles. Would they be able to pull off a solid show? And a dramatic suspense show at that? Well, I found that I didn't need to be skeptical at all. The show turned out to be quite well done and the characters were great. But before I explain what I liked, here's a brief overview.

Maou is, put simply, a revenge drama. It focuses on the two primary characters of Naurse Ryou, played by Ohno Satoshi, and Serizawa Naoto played by Ikuta Toma. Naruse is a brilliant and accomplished lawyer, who is well known for his generosity and kindness and being able to win cases. Serizawa is a police detective who is known for being brash and undisciplined. The two seem unrelated in the beginning but that soon changes. It seems that Naruse has a well-planned revenge scheme that he hatches against Serizawa and those around him, including friends and family. The reason for revenge, as shown later in the story, is that Serizawa and his friends used to bully kids at their middle school, and one of the kids that is bullied is eventually killed, stabbed by Serizawa on accident. Serizawa, who's family is wealthy and powerful, gets him off for the crime and he goes on to live his life and become a police officer. Naruse is the older brother of the boy that died in the stabbing. His mother also died of a heart attack following the younger brother's death and thus, Naruse has lived alone and bitter for the following decade. So the story is of Naruse's revenge plan against Serizawa and those around him.

How is this plan executed? It is a detailed and intricate system whereby Serizawa receives a red envelope containing some clue and a tarot card that holds some significance. Soon afterward the target would receive a similar envelope and the same tarot card. Finally, a third individual only slightly related to Serizawa or the target would receive the same tarot card and another item, usually the means to kill the target. What would happen is that the third individual would be the trigger, becoming angry at the target for some reason, pushed by the envelope's contents and then go to confront the target, who would then also become angry over the confrontation. The results would then lead to the target's death and the killer, who would have killed the target accidentally would then be represented by Naruse and released due to it being self defense. Naruse does it this way to re-enact the setting of Serizawa'a release after killing his brother before. Only the people dying are Serizawa'a friends. It seems complicated but is shown in the drama very well and there is no confusion as it is explained. As the people begin to be murdered, Serizawa and his fellow detectives move trying to identify the true killer, never sensing it could be the angelic Naruse.

Other issues emerge as the story develops: family problems within the Serizawa household; cracks in friendships; adultery between coworkers; and the truth behind the killing. I won't spoil anything but things are definitely not as clear as they appear initially. And in the midst of all of this is a young woman named Shiori, who has the ability to touch an object and see brief images of events that occurred around it in the past. She assists the police in efforts to help them in their investigation but she soon falls for Naruse, complicating matters further. As the story moves forward both Serizawa and Naruse begin to see their pasts in real terms and develop as characters. Their fates and their paths are destined to cross and it is well worth the journey to follow them on this path. Again, I won't spoil the ending or anything major...just suffice to say that the story is well told and worth the watch.

The acting is well done in this series, and by far Ohno Satoshi steals the show as the tragic and yet brilliant villain Naruse. His cold dead stare will haunt you after a few episodes and become synonymous with the deaths occurring in the story. He is one of the best TV villains I have seen and has a definitive human side that will make you root for him when you know you shouldn't be. Toma, as Serizawa, is also quite good as the emotionally tortured detective with a haunted past. As his friends soon begin to fall around him it is quite clear he is ensnared in a deadly game of which he is an unwilling participant, and the drama that emerges out of the cat and mouse game between Serizawa and Naruse is fun to watch. The supporting cast is excellent, especially Serizawa'a father and the other detectives. The story is haunting, suspenseful, and will challenge you. It is Shakespearian in tone and epic in scope. Take the time and watch all eleven episodes. It is well worth it. Until next time, mata ne!